Electric exhaust gas recirculation (EEGR) valves may include a housing with an electrical actuator in the housing that operates a valve member to allow exhaust gas to flow through a passage provided in a portion of the housing. The housing includes an open end that allows for installment of the electrical actuator and the valve member. A cap is placed on the open end of the housing to close the housing and to secure the electrical actuator in a fixed position within the housing. The cap is provided with an electrical connection therethrough to operate the electrical actuator. In order to secure the cap and housing together, different fastening techniques have been employed.
One method of attaching the cap to the housing is to employ a clinch ring. The clinch ring is deformed to a fixedly secured position around an outwardly extending flange portion provided on each of the cap and the housing. In order to install a clinch ring and secure the cap onto the housing, the flange of the housing and the cap must be suitably sized for engagement by the clinch ring. Because of the flange provided on each of the cap and the housing, the overall packaging size of the EEGR valve is increased. Furthermore, because the clinch ring is deformed and secured in place around the flanges of the cap and the housing, installation of the clinch ring may require many steps, and once the clinch ring is secured in place it is difficult to remove.
An alternative method of securing the cap to the open end of the housing provided in an EEGR valve is to deform a portion of the housing itself around the cap. For example, a portion of the housing is sized so that it can be deformed towards a central axis of the valve assembly, and, thus, surround a portion of the cap to hold the cap on the open end of the housing. Although the deformed housing securely holds the cap on the housing, if, during assembly, the housing deforming process is not carried out in the appropriate manner, the housing can be destroyed. In addition, deforming the housing around the cap is labor intensive and requires accurate manufacturing steps that may increase the overall cost of producing the EEGR valve. Furthermore, once the housing is deformed around the cap, removal of the cap becomes very difficult without damaging the housing.